Mechanical chair.



N. 1 21. PA ENTED MAR. 10 1908.

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MECHANICAL CHAIR, APPLICATION FILED D110. 24, 1906.

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MECHANICAL CHAIR. APPLICATION TILED DEC. 24, 1906.

STEPHEN Ga WILSON, or PHIliADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

MEGH NIOAL CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed. December 24, 1906.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Serial No. 349,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, STEPHEN G. WILsON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, ful Mechanical Chair, is a specification.

The purpose of my invention is to combine theparts of a Morris chair in such a manner as to cooperate with exercising mechanisms.

A further pur ose of my invention is-to use the back an body of a Morris chair to form tracks upon which a sliding seat may operate. y

A further urpose of my invention is to make use of t e front piece of a Morris chair for an extensible foot rest.

A further urpose of my invention is to use the side frames supporting the arms of the chair as supports for rowing machine handles.

A further purpose of my invention is to make use of the arms of my chair to secure of. which the following retarded rotary movement for the handles of extended arm position 1n dotted lines.

a rowing machine.

A further purpose of my invention is to combine the parts of the exercising machines so that they shall fit to or be a part of the chair construction.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

Figure 1're resents in perspective, a Morris chair capa le of being arrangedfor use as an exercising machine. Fig. 2- represents a similar construction in vertical section, the

arts being in a slightly different position.

ig. 3 represents my device in perspective arranged as a rowing machine. Fig. 4 represents a similar construction to Fig. 3 in longitudinal section, additional parts being shown. Fig. 5 represents the arm of my rowing machine in fragmentary longitudinal section. Fig. 6 represents'the position of the side frame and arm in plan view showing lighe 1g. 7 represents in pers ective and Fig. 8 in section, portions of t e arm and supporting Fig. 9 represents a section of Fig. 5 upon line w-a;. Fig. 10 represents in section a portion of the arm and back showing the manner of their attachment. Fig. 11 represents an enlarged detail section of a portion of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

have invented a new and use Referring to the drawings. 1 designates a frame of a Morris chair having a cushion seat 2, side members 3 and back 4. The back is hinged to any suitable pivot bar 5 preferably by strips 5. The segment 6 offers means of attachment of a catch 7 upon the back in any one of a number of openings 8. The normal arm 9 is supplemented by a special arm 9 which'is pivoted by a universal joint at 10 so as to move vertically and horizontally and to be free to turn so as to secure attachment at any suitable point 11 on the sides of the back when the arms are .turned into a vertical position.

The back is formed in two parts, the outer part proper shown by reference 4 and an inner frame 12. These are both pivoted about the same bar so that they can be lowered together, as for rowing machine use, as

seen in Figs. 3 and 4, or the inner part 12 can be lowered separately for such use as running exercise, as seen in Fig. 2. Any suitable latch or catch keeps them together when desired.- When the two parts are lowered together any support 13 is used. The back is then substantially horizontal so that guides 14 upon the back form a line with guide 15 within the body of the chair when the cushion is removed permitting travel of the rollers 16 of a sliding 1 The chair back is preferably provided with seat 17 thereon.

a removable cushion 18. Beneath this cushion are located rollers 19 which are retarded in their rotation by a brake 20. The brake 20 is formed in the preferred construction by means of a cord which is secured at one end as, at 21' and turned a half turn about each of the adjoining rollers passin in this manner about the entire set of rol ers successively, then entirely around the roller and back upon the opposite sides of each of the rollers to the initial roller which is secured by any suitable adjustable device comprising a drum 22 to which the end or ends of the rope are attached so that winding of the thumb piece 22 tightens the brake and ratchet and latch 23 retains the drum in position. Thus the tension on the cord or rope and consequently the brakin eflect upon the rollers may be varied at wil In the position shown in Fig. 2, the rollers 19 constitute a tread mill or running exerciser and the back 4 remains in raised position to steady or affor supplort to the one exercising.

T e sides 3. of the arm portion of the chair carry arms 9 and are hinged to the back as are also arms 9 but the sides 3 andthe arms 9 are pivoted at different points so that as they open to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 there is relative movement between arms 9 and 9, the path of movement being against rotation in either ustable hand brake direction. by an ad- 50 whose tension adusted by means of a wheel 51 having a shaft passed through the part 52. It will thus be seen that the oar operates under the retardae shown in Fig. 6 in which the aperture 24 of tion of the frictional brake 50 and any dethe arm 9 travels over the are shown at 25 siredv amount or variation of retardation. may whereas the point 26 of the arm 9, which be secured by tightening the wheel 5]. The coincides in position with 24 in the original return of the oar is free from this retardation. location, traverses the track 27 to the loca- In Fig. 4 I have shown in dotted lines, a tion shown in the dotted lines which is the cord 53 and handle 54 which may, of course, extended position of the arm and side frame be duplicated upon the opposite side and shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A brace 28 or any whereby exercise of a different character or other suitable means is used to more firmly foot exercisers, as the case may be, can be secure these parts in extended position At secured from the oars, this construction makthe same time the pal ts latch automatically ing possible also foot movement of the ears by means of the construction shown in Figs. either against frictional retardation or as a. 7 and 8. The arm 9 carries a pin 29 coincireturn, the movement in the opposite dent with the aperture 24, which pin rests in direction being by hand. The feet may also its inner position in the socket 30. During be used as the opposition of movement to the the extension of the arm 9 and side 3 this oar balancing the muscles of the arms with pin 29 traverses the inclined plane 31 until those of the legs in different proportion, as at the extended position of the arm and side may be desired. when pin 29 drops into the socket 32 and The arm 9 has an aperture 55 at any suitlatches in that position, bracing the parts able point, through which a pin 56 may be against movement and assisting the brace 28 passed to secure the arm to the body of the to retain them in these positions. chair as at 57 (which may correspond to 1]) In the illustration shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in any of its positions, as along the back of an extended foot rest 33 is shown held in its the chair. The movement of the arm 9 in extended position by the folding braces 34 several different planes is secured by any which foot rest and brace are shown in re desirable form of partially or wholly univertracted position in Fig. 2 Figs. 3 and 4 saljoint of which Ihave illustrated one form, show also the oars 35 which move about a showing the arm pivoted in a block 58 which center 36 coincidin with the point 26 (see is in turn pivoted on a pivot 58 in a block Fig. 6) and socket 32 in the extended position 59 secured to the frame of the chair, the pivof the arms. In my preferred form I secure ots being angularly disposed to each other. upon the inner end ofeach oar 35 a casing 37 It will be evident that the rowing machine carrying a pin 38 which fits into aperture 24. maybe varied to provide any suitable ratchet he casing 37 carries a spring 39 and ratchet connection between the ears and the fricteeth 40 cooperating to carry the pin 38 with tional retardation means and that any other the oar in one direction of motion of the oar suitable means of frictional retardation may and to allow the upper face of the ratchet or be used. clutch 40 to yield compressing the spring 39 It will be evident that some other means in the opposite direction of motion of the oar of outside support for the oar-locks or lock in which, therefore, the motion of the oar equivalents may be used instead of the side does not carry the pin 38. The ratchets or arm support which I have illustrated and clutches upon the oars are made with the described. similarly placed parts of opposite gender pro- It will be evident that various changes may ducing rights and lefts, so that while the cars be made by those skilled in this art which will will be most used for pulling exercises, slipcome within the scope of my invention and ping on the outward movement of the han- I do not therefore desire to be limited in le, a reversal of the oars will produce an every instance to the exact construction hereopposite effect and cause them to slip upon in shown and described. the inward movement and giving pushing Having thus described my invention, what exercise. The car is braced by means of a claim as new and desire to secure by lQetrod 41 threaded within the casing at 42 and ters Patent, is z held within the oar by a set screw 43 resting 1. In a device of the character described, a within a circular depression 44 in the rod 41. chair body, a chair back, a side member, side Adjustment of the spring and access to it are arm members pivoted at different points and had by means of the plate 45 and the nut 46 capable of extending from the side of the 5 whic secures said plate in place. The arm chair, a pin connecting the side arm members 9 at the same time carries a frictional retardand securing them in extended position, and ing means operated by pin 38 through the an exercising device cooperating with the engagement of said pin with a disk 47 within side arm members. said arm 9. The disk '47 is restrained 2. Ina device of the character described, a 130 and means for giving frictional retardation I to the movement of the oar when mounted upon either of said supports.

5. In a device of the character described, an exercising chair, an arm joined at one end thereto, means for supporting the arm in outstanding position, an oar, a ratchet connected to said oar, means upon the support for engaging said ratchet and frictional retarding means interposed between the ratchet and the arm.

6. In a device of the character described, an exercising arm therefor, pivoted at its inner end, means for su orting the arm in extended position, a dis 1n the outer end of said arm, a band engaging said disk frictionally, an oar and ratchet connection between said oar and said disk.

7. In a device of the character described, a chair, an arm therefor pivoted at its inner end, a rotatable member in the outer end of said arm, frictional means for retarding said rotation, an oar and a ratchet in enga e- I ment with said oar and with said rotata le and oppositely-operable oars carrying said ratchets to permit free movement in one di-- rection and frictionally retarding rotation in the op posite direction, reversible by exchange of the oars.

9. In a device of the character described, a plurality of extensible arms, rotatable members in the outer ends of said arms, frictional means for opposing the rotation of said members, an oar and ratchet connection between said oar and said rotatable member, oppositely-operable to secure a retarded movement in opposite directions, according to the arm with which it is connected, and free return movement.

10. In a rowing machine, a plurality of frictionally retarded rotatable members forming supports for the oars and a plurality of oars interchangeable with relation to said supports and by interchange of the same setting in motion said frictionally retarded rotatable members in opposite directions.

11. In a rowing machine, a frictionally retarded rotatable member, a plurality of oars and ratchets connected with said oars for engagement with the rotatable member, said ratchets being rights and lefts upon different oars to provide a reversibility of engagement with the same rotatable member.

12. In a rowing machine, a disk, a band, frictionally engaging said disk, a plurality of oars interchangeably pivoted about the center of said disk, right and left ratchet means for engagement of different oars with said disks to give free movement and retardation of movement in different directions according to the oar used with a disk. 13. In an exercising chair, a support upon each side of said chair, a frictionally retarded rotatable member upon each support and an exercising device capable of connection with said rotatable member but having a different direction of rotation according to the member with which it is connected.

STEPHEN G. WILSON. Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, W. S. JACKSON. 

